Numbers of the Year

50 Years until ocean seafood will be virtually extinct, at current rates of overfishing and pollution, according to a study by marine biologists

2040 Year the effects of global warming could cause the Arctic Ocean to be mostly water--instead of icebergs--in the summer

$37 billion Amount in stock that investing guru Warren Buffett pledged in June to charity

$1.5 billion Donation Buffett made to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation this year, doubling the organization's annual budget

300 million Estimated U.S. population as of October

2043 Year the 400 millionth American is expected to be born or naturalized

3,278 U.S. military deaths in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, as of Dec. 15

$502 billion Amount the U.S. has spent in the war on terrorism

7.5 million Number of Ford Tauruses made in the sedan's 21-year life span, which ended Oct. 27

38,000 Ford employees who agreed this year to retire early or take a buyout in restructuring effort by the company, which does not expect to be profitable until '09

Sources: Science; New York Times; FORTUNE (2); U.S. Census (2); Washington Post; USA Today; Ford Motor Co. (2)